


Herald of Ronka

by Autumn - Gaia (GaiaMaiden)



Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-07
Updated: 2020-11-07
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:53:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,802
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27424525
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GaiaMaiden/pseuds/Autumn%20-%20Gaia
Summary: Woe betide the Warrior of Light's retainer, for mistaken identity and a forced trip across the Rift shall apparently be her reward...Serving as the introduction of my third (and so far last) of my major characters, this story focuses around Raradi Radi, retainer (and friend) of the Warrior of Light. The question this story answers is simple: How did she get to the First, and more importantly, what happened to her between her forced journey, and the arrival of her beloved friend...?This story also features a guest star! Thank you to FluffyAbsol for letting me bring in his character Kalestin!
Kudos: 1





	1. Chapter 1

The sun hung dutifully over the island of La Noscea as a lone Au Ra woman could be seen solemnly making her way through the streets of a residential district. The stark, vivid purple of her outfit otherwise betrayed the lengths that it had recently traveled; the dust and dirt lost amongst the many folds the ensemble carried. 

Before long, she arrived at the threshold of a modestly decorated house, listlessly opening and shutting the door in front of her in a single, fluid movement. Nothing initially greeted her outside of the usual decorations of the home, but the soft glow of the oven in the far corner indicated that _someone_ was present.  
  
“Autumn?” she queried. “Autumn, are you here?”

“ _Nam?! Is that you?!_ ”

A high-pitched cry issued forth from above her, one that the woman begrudgingly knew all too well.

_Raradi…_ she muttered under her breath, before gazing towards the stairs that led upward. “Have I not told you countless times to _cease_ referring to me as that?!”

“ _But it’s cute!_ ”  
  
“I am _Not. Cute!_ ” she howled back. “I swear, what prompted you to even start calling me that to begin with?! …Where _are_ you anyways?”  
  
“ _In the bathroom, cleaning up!_ ”

Namryn clenched her eyes shut as she dropped her traveling bag next to the door, bracing herself for what was likely another of Raradi’s infamous ‘messes’ just around the corner. As she opened her eyes back up to begin her search, her nose would provide her a telling starting point; the scent of berries soon enveloping her senses. She strolled over to the nearby kitchen, and noted the sight of freshly cleaned dishes adjacent to the sink, as well as a basket containing a small pile of dark red berries sitting in plain view.

Curiosity getting the better of her, she picked up one of the berries and took a small bite out of the tip of it. The taste soon registered as she grimaced in response, spitting out the contents in the nearby sink and swiftly tossing the remaining bits in the nearest trash bin. 

_Rolanberries… blech._

“Hey now, don’t go spoiling your appetite! You won’t have any room for my pie!”

A diminutive woman with long, green and blue hair soon appeared at the top of the staircase leading to the upper floor, wagging her finger at the Au Ra.

_Pie…_

Namryn turned behind her, noting the glowing oven that she had observed when she first stepped in. A small hourglass stood dutifully on top of it, though the top of it looked to be nearly exhausted of sand.

“Another attempt, I see.”

“I’ll make one you’ll like yet!” Raradi chirped back as she made her way towards the selfsame oven.  
  
From what Namryn had learned over the years, the recipe originated from the young Lalafell’s mother, and was a common treat shared between the two for much of her childhood. A treat that was enjoyed by many of those around her… except for the Xaela herself, who long carried a disgust of the fruit’s taste predating her arrival to Eorzea. Following the poor initial reaction to their beloved pastry, Raradi had since endeavored to tweak the recipe in an effort to discover a version that even _she_ could enjoy. Efforts that had not been entirely in vain, yet she had yet to discover a combination that the Auri woman was able to stomach.

Namryn studied Raradi for a brief moment as the latter tended to the oven. The Lalafell would be the first to break the silence anew.  
  
“Where’ve you been?”

“The Steppe,” Namryn coldly replied. “Combed through the friendlier tribes to see if there was anything to help Autumn concerning her comatose friends.”  
  
“And?”  
  
“Nothing, I’m afraid. Unless you count an ominous fortune about ‘being consumed by light’.”

“Scary! Ah well… speaking of which, have you had any… you know...?”

Namryn watched on as her friend began to pull her latest creation out of the oven. “Those headache attack... things? No, not since I was sent out. You?”  
  
“All good here!” she cheered, while walking the pie over to a nearby table.

Namryn followed her over and quietly pulled out one of the chairs to take a seat. “And what of Autumn?”

“Well, she’s been fine too I think. Speaking of her though, if you’re looking for them… well… she might be out for a bit,” started Raradi. “She poked me over linkshell a little while ago! You know those Garleans that Alphy went off with?”  
  
“Yes?”  
  
“Apparently some of them showed up suddenly in Ala Mhigo, so Autumn’s off to look into it. Told me to hold down the fort in the meanwhile. So, I decided to keep myself busy by making another pie! Speaking of which...”

She handed a small pate over to Namryn, carrying a small slice and an accompanying fork.

“Dig in!”

Namryn cautiously accepted the plate and placed the ensemble on the table in front of her. She took up the small fork, broke off a small chunk off the tip, and gingerly placed the morsel within her mouth, chewing it slowly. Though the foul taste of the berries could still be sensed on her tongue, the pie itself was…

Raradi studied her friend’s face as she took her first bite, holding her breath as she tried to gauge their reaction. In the past, the Auri’s reaction was typically immediate, spitting out the contents in disgust shortly after reaching her tongue.  
  
Today however, history was being made: After a cautious chew or two… she swallowed. Raradi sharply gasped in response.  
  
“You _like it_?!”

Namryn dutifully placed her fork down next to her plate, and stared at the pastry in front of her, contemplating her review.

“It’s… _tolerable_.”

“Yippee! I _knew_ adding some more vanilla would help! Yaaaaaaaay!!!”

The Lalafell jumped in place excitedly, celebrating her long awaited victory against Namryn’s tastebuds. Namryn, meanwhile, merely watched on, quietly wondering how someone could be so happy being told their dish was mediocre.

“Not sure why you’re so thrilled. I didn’t say I liked it.”  
  
“But you _ate_ it! That’s progress! Aaaaaaah, I’m so excited!!!”  
  
_A firefly could excite you_ , Namryn quipped internally as the Lalafell continued celebrating. Attempting to tune the noise out, Namryn picked her fork up once more and carved off another small portion of pie, all while debating to herself what kind of tea or coffee could help make the pastry more palatable.

Just as she brought the second morsel to her lips however, Namryn was struck with a peculiar sensation, though she could not quite place what it was. At first, she believed it to be her exhaustion finally catching up with her; She had been on her feet most of her time while in the Steppe and out at sea, and had traveled straight from the docks to Autumn’s home. She shook her head in an attempt to ward off her fatigue and went to move her fork closer… but stopped again as a realization dawned upon her: the house had suddenly become dead quiet.

She placed her fork gently down on her plate and looked to Raradi. Sure enough, the Lalafell had stopped her celebrating, seemingly rooted in place while blankly staring out in front of her in a trance-like state.  
  
“...Raradi? Are you-”

It struck with no further warning. Namryn’s head exploded in pain; a mysterious force tearing at her mind with maddening ferocity. She clutched her head as her vision began to blur and distort around her, the colors of the house beginning to shimmer and blur with a frightening frequency. Just beyond the deafening pain, she could hear the faint traces of a voice…

“ _...Untold sorrow… Must be changed…_ ”

“R… Raradi!”

Clutching the table with one hand and her aching head with the other, Namryn called out to her friend. Despite her failing vision, she could see the Lalafell clutching her head too, writhing in the selfsame agonizing pain as they attempted to stay standing.

“ _Ahead looms a calamity…_ ”

She could tell they were screaming. Howling. But she couldn’t hear any of it. The pain was blinding all of her senses as she felt herself being pulled apart right to her very core. The only thing that she could make out for certain was the mysterious voice that called out from nowhere.

“ _Eon become instant!_ ”  
  
“N-no! Raradi!”

Using the table as a support, Namryn struggled to move herself towards Raradi, her whole body feeling as though she was moving through a wall of sand. She called out in desperation, her free arm outstretched in a futile effort to reach them, but not even her own words reached her ears, as the pain seemed to build to even greater heights. She was reaching her limit.  
  
“ _Throw wide the gates!_ ”

As if being released from a spell, the final words freed Namryn from her pain; her vision suddenly clearing as she lurched forward abruptly. The table screeched briefly upon the tile floor, but otherwise prevented the Xaela’s fall.

Realizing her sudden recovery, her gaze shot back towards Raradi. Their hands were both still clutching her head as she looked upward, but she was now otherwise silent. Almost as if she had become a statue…

“...Raradi?”

The Lalafell stood quietly in place for a moment longer… before crumpling to the ground.

“RARADI!”

Namryn shot to their side and picked them up in her arms.

“Raradi! Answer me!”

She slapped their cheek lightly, then shook them.

“Wake up! Wake up, damn you! This isn’t funny, you little shite!”

No response. Her green friend laid in her arms, seemingly bereft of life. Had it not been for the light breathing she could still hear upon their lips, she would think them dead.

“Raradi…”

She felt nothing as she stared at Raradi. Her mind was a complete blank, unable to process the sight in front of her. The only thing that seemed to change in the room was a burgeoning sinking sensation in her chest. 

_I… This feeling… Why do I feel so...?_

Her body felt too heavy to move. In the deathly silent moment Namryn found herself in, all that she could seem to manage was a single tear that quietly streamed down her face unimpeded.

~~

Tucked under the shade of the giant trees overhead, a pack of deer grazed peacefully on the tall grass beneath their feet. The only noises that could be heard amongst them was the chewing of their mouths and the occasional crunching of the ground beneath them as they moved about their veritable feast.

Without warning, a volley of arrows flew out towards the herd. A startled yelp could be heard echoing out into the forest as the arrows found their mark, followed by a cacophony of thuds and a rumbling of the ground as the remainder made their quick escape. Once silence laid claim to the area once more, the bodies of 3 deer could be seen silently laying upon the ground.

Another moment would pass before the rustling of grass could be heard once more. Two Viera women soon emerged from the underbrush, one carrying a bow while the other carried a spear at their side.

“Excellent shot, sister! Your recent lessons have certainly borne fruit.”

“Don’t you patronize me,” growled the bow-wielding woman. “I told you countless times that I am old enough to be able to hunt _alone_! I do not know why you continue to hound me so.”

The spear-wielding woman flashed a soft smile in response, unfazed by her sister’s latest protest. “Is it wrong for me to care about you? You’re all the family I have at this point! ...You would leave me alone too?”  
  
“D-Don’t turn this around on me! I… gah! _Whatever_! Lets just collect the meat and be done with thi-”

Their conversation was cut short as a loud ringing noise echoed out into the area around them, forcing the two down to their knees.

“Wh-what’s going on?!”  
  
“...Sister! Over there!”

The spear-wielder pointed towards a set of stone pyramids that laid some distance behind them; an area long forbidden for them to explore, but the rule itself never quite extended to the forest surrounding them. The bow-wielding woman spun around, and witnessed a large pillar of light issuing forth from the top of one of the pyramids.

The two stood frozen in place as the scene played out in front of them, one that would continue for a minute longer before the light finally began to fade and silence laid its claim to the forest once more.

“...We should… flee,” muttered the spear-wielder.

“ _Flee?_ Hmph! And _you_ call yourself a hunter,” snapped back her sister. After an exaggerated shrug, the woman defiantly began to march towards the ruins.

“What are you doing?! Have you forgotten-!”  
  
“Ha! Is it not _our duty_ to protect those very ruins from harm?! Flee back to the village if you want, but _I_ will prove myself to you one way or another!” With that, the archeress broke out into a sprint, heading directly towards the pyramid where the light pillar had appeared.

“Sister! _Gah_!” the spearwoman huffed, reluctantly chasing after them in a futile effort to stop their brazen act of courage.

After checking the vicinity for any of the golems and other defenses that were wont to patrol the area, the two Vieras climbed up the pyramid where they had observed the pillar of light moments ago, with the spearwoman struggling to keep the same pace her sister surged forth with. At one point, she closed her eyes as she instinctively continued her climb, visibly taxed by the sudden burst of excitement. A climb that would have continued on had a firm hand not abruptly forced her back.

“Sister, wait!”

The spearwoman's eyes jerked open as she shot a look of confusion at her sister.

“Look!”

The archeress pointed towards the peak of the stone pyramid they were perched upon, towards a sight that neither of the two were fully prepared for. Laying in front of the peak, just below a set of inscriptions on the stone pillar, was the body of what looked to be a small, naked woman with long, green and blue hair and pointed ears.

“Wh-what is it?” prodded the spearwoman.

The archeress leaned closer to the mysterious entity in front of them, turning her head towards it in the act.

“Whatever is it… it is still alive...” she whispered back.

The two leaned closer to the prone woman, standing at the level just below her. Despite their lower elevation, their tall stature easily towered over the sight in front of them.

“Should we… take it back?” muttered the archeress.

“ _Take it back_?! We’re _already_ trampling over some of our most sacred laws as it is! Are you seriously suggesting we _remove_ something from these ruins now?! Nenve, this is madness!”

“This is _not normal_ , Phen! What if it’s a sign?! A sign from the gods!”

“For once, would you abandon these delusions of grandeur! I admit it, you’re a good hunter! Now can we stop all this and-!”  
  
“Ahh… Aaaa…”

The two sisters froze in fear upon hearing the woman in front of them stir. They both hesitantly looked back, and found her weakly reaching her arm out towards them, her pale yellow eyes squinting as if they were trying to make out the sight in front of her.

“N… Namryn? ...Autumn? Where…?” she weakly wheezed, before collapsing back on the rock surface once more.

Phen and Nenve could only stare in disbelief, attempting to make sense of both the scene in front of them as well as the words the woman had spoken.

“What was she saying?”  
  
“I do not know… but we cannot ignore this…”


	2. Chapter 2

Sleep began to loosen its grasp upon Raradi, as her eyes quickly fluttered open from what felt like a hearty rest. Perhaps _too_ hearty a rest, as exhaustion still stubbornly clawed at her body and mind. She instinctively reached for the covers and wrapped herself back up after turning over onto her side.

“Five more… minutes…” she groggily whimpered.

While the covers she had just succeeded in cocooning herself in felt rather comfortable, she couldn’t help but notice that they also felt… different? 

...Too different. It was… rough? But also pliant? Warm? It was… unlike anything she had ever felt before.

_“Not sure why you’re so thrilled. I didn’t say I liked it...”_

Raradi’s eyes shot wide open after the scene had played out in her mind once more. She quickly threw her covers off and sat up on the bed, adrenaline pumping through her body as she began to piece together her moments just prior to her slumber.

She was at Autumn’s home, baking another pie for Namryn. They were tasting it… actually _eating it_ for once. She was celebrating... and then… it happened again. That voice called out to her. She was in a ton of pain… and then…

Darkness. She saw nothing. She _felt_ nothing. And now, she was suddenly here.

_Wherever ‘here’ was,_ she thought to herself.

Her surroundings were certainly not the comfy home that she had been in moments earlier; She looked to be in a small hut of sorts. Wooden walls, floors and roofing… a large, circular room with a smattering of modest, wooden furniture scattered about. Some wall-mounted weapons and animal trophies seemed to serve as the major pieces of decoration for the room.

At the far side of the circular room, Raradi spotted an open window, though the angle the bed had to it showed precious little outside of it; It _looked_ to be daytime, but the proximity looked to be heavily shaded. Beyond that, she could make out some distant foliage, but nothing else.

Eager to get a better idea of where she was, the Lalafell hopped out of her bed with a start, but stopped abruptly when she realized that her clothing had changed too!

Though… clothing would be a generous way of describing what she wore now. Her garments were remarkably… _square_. To say nothing of the harsh, coarse threads that seemed to compose it, nor the fact that the singular piece seemed to hang all the way down to her ankles. A cursory glance seemed to indicate that her garments were rather aged… though the fibers close to holes around her arms seemed freshly cut.

A single word seemed to be scribbled towards the middle of her dressings. The writing itself seemed almost foreign in styling to her. She flipped up the word closer to her eyes, and realized that part of her confusion was due in part to the fact that the word was seemingly printed upside-down! The styling of the writing itself, however, still seemed very novel to her, so it took a few precious moments to properly make sense of it…  
  
G… R… A… I-

“Wh-wh-what?! _Why am I in a grain sack?!_ ”

Her indignant protest went unheeded by the world around her. Hungry for answers, she zoomed over to the open window to get a better look outside. Arriving at the far wall, Raradi discovered another glaring issue; the room had been clearly designed for someone of much taller stature, as the window towered just beyond her reach. Another quick scan of the room revealed a chair that she could use to grant her the necessary elevation.

With the chair soon in position, Raradi climbed up to peek out into whatever world awaited her. Had things been as she would have expected, a bright, blue sky over a sea of stone houses and paths would have awaited her, with the sea visible off in the distance.

What she _would_ see would be vastly different: She looked to be under the shade of a giant tree, with a multitude of small huts stretching out before her, interconnected by a network of wooden paths and platforms that wrapped around a number of equally large trees. Beyond that, she could tell that she was in the middle of a massive forest, with a blinding light peeking through what few gaps in the foliage were present.

Raradi stared in disbelief at the sight of her. _Wh-what’s going on? I… I’m dreaming! I’m still asleep! That has to be it! Gosh… I really must have run myself ragged these past few days…_

She quickly hopped back off the chair and jumped straight back into the bed she had stirred from earlier, ignoring all the foreign sensations that prodded her from all directions.

_Maybe I have pushed myself a bit lately. I could use… a few extra… winks…_

Darkness swiftly reclaimed her mind…

~~

Raradi could feel herself begin to stir once more some unknown amount of time later. With her eyes clenched tight, she stretched out in all directions while issuing out a stifled moan; a common way that she greeted the new day. She quickly sat up in bed and opened her eyes… and was greeted by the sights of the small wooden hut she had witnessed before in her supposed dream.

“Wh… what?”

Glancing over to the far wall, she could see the chair that she had moved just underneath the nearby windowsill exactly where she had left it. Quickly dashing out of the bed, the Lalafell climbed back atop said chair, and saw the same sight she had witnessed before: a massive forest, with a village-worth of huts scattered about the trees.

“Wh-what’s going on?” she trembled. “This… this isn’t a dream?! Where am I-”

A loud gasp interrupted Raradi’s train of thought. Still standing atop the chair, she turned towards the source of the noise, and found a tall woman standing in the doorway of the hut. To the young retainer, she looked to be clothed in a tribal-like dress, with her only other notable trait being a pair of long ears pointing straight into the air; almost like a bunny, by her reckoning.

Before Raradi could form any intelligible response, the unknown woman dropped to their knee, bowing towards her.

“F-forgive me, oh noble Herald! I did not know that you had stirred!”

“...Herald? But my name is-”

“You are hungry, yes?” interjected the woman. “I have been preparing a stew for when you finally awoke!”  
  
The word served to stir Raradi’s stomach as a large gurgling sound groaned out from her.

“W-well… I could use some food I guess,” she admitted.

“At once! Please, sit at the table, I will have it ready shortly!” The woman stood back up and gestured towards a small table.

Raradi stared at the table for a brief moment, before glancing back down to herself. “Umm, before anything else, what happened to my clothes?”  
  
“Your clothes?” questioned the woman. “Forgive me… but you had none…”

_What?!_

“Or rather…” she continued, “You did not have any when we first found you…”

“Well, I sure as heck wasn’t wearing a _grain sack_ before!”   
  
“Ah!” The woman shot back down to her knees, bowing once more towards them. “I-I-I’m sorry! We did not have any garments that could f-f-fit you! Forgive us!”

“Woah woah woah!” exclaimed Raradi, her hands shooting up defensively. “Calm down! I’m not _angry_ , I’m just… it’s really awkward to be walking around wearing… _this_ … you know?”

The woman cautiously stood back up, her face still filled with worry. “It is a temporary measure, I assure you! Our weavers are already hard at work on making more proper clothing for you,” she explained. “As for myself, I was entrusted with caring for you until you recovered. T-then I was to bring you to our chieftainess…”

“O… kay…?” 

Raradi didn’t know what to make of her current situation. Everything seemed absolutely foreign to her, the woman in front of her in particular. She had never seen anyone look quite like her before, so she could only assume that wherever she was, it was a long ways from Eorzea.

“Excuse me?” she faltered, “I know this is a really bad thing to ask… but who… and _what_ are you? I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like you before...”

“You have not…? How strange…” muttered the woman. She appeared to lose herself in thought for a few moments before turning back to Raradi. “My name is Phen. I am but one amongst the proud Viis who still stand watch over the ruins of Ronka, as you and yours have asked of us so long ago!”  
  
 _You and yours? ...What?_

The more the woman talked, the more confused Raradi became. They spoke as though all of this was common knowledge, yet every word she uttered raised further questions than the last.

_Vees? Wait… does she mean Vi-era? She_ **_does_ ** _look like how Autumn described them, or at least that one lady she met from Dalmasca. Wow, never thought I’d get the chance to see one!_

_What is_ **_Ronka_ ** _though? ...No, Raradi, focus! Where am I? What happened to me? By the Twelve, I have no idea what’s going on here!_

“I… I’m sorry miss, but none of this makes any sense to me! I’m not someone from ‘Ronka’, whatever that is! I’m an Ul’dahn; born and raised! ...Well, I mean, I wasn’t _born and raised_ in the actual city, but you get the idea, right?”

Phen simply stood in place, looking down at her with a confused expression.

“You know!” Raradi continued. “Ul’dah? Jewel of the Desert?”

The Viis continued to stare.

“Thanalan? ... _Eorzea_?”

“I’m… sorry, I do not know what you speak of… We are certainly not in a _desert_ …”

Raradi gave out an exasperated sigh.

“Umm… you said you were gonna bring me to a… chieftainess?”  
  
“Yes!” chirped back the woman.

“How about we do that first then? Maybe we can get this all cleared up that way.”

“...Were you not hungry?”

“Ahh… I mean, that can wait I-”  
  
Another loud gurgle rang out into the hut.

“...Okay, stew first, then leader.”

\--

A bowl of stew (and a swapping of the old sack for some bed covers) later, Phen began to lead a still bewildered Raradi through the paths of the forest village; a village by the name of Fanow, from what the Viis woman told her. That would be the extent of what she would tell her though, as the two walked otherwise silently through the village. What Raradi had spied from the window earlier was more or less the sight that greeted her as she walked; The only real landmark that she had not witnessed before was the village’s aetheryte. Its design only further reinforced her conclusion that she was far from home: a predominately square-shaped crystal that glowed an almost sickly white from the base of it. As for the inhabitants, the few denizens that were sighted amongst the shade and leaves all had similar features to her guide. _I guess these are all Vees…_ she quietly mused.

Before long, the two arrived in front of another of the rabbit-like women, one with long, scarlet hair, similar garb, and a stern expression. The two Viis exchanged nods before Phen quietly bowed and excused herself from the scene. Once the two were alone, the scarlet-haired gave a small bow to Raradi before she began to speak.

“Greetings, O’ Herald of Ronka. My name is Almet, chieftainess of Fanow. I bid you welcome to our village.”

Raradi grasped nervously at her arm in embarrassment.

“H-herald? Listen, I think there’s some kind of misunderstanding going on here. Like, I-I’m not some kind of Herald, and I’ve never heard of this ‘Ronka’ before in my entire life! I… I don’t even know where I _am_ right now!”

Almet shot the Lalafell a confused scowl.

“You do not recognize your homeland?”  
  
“My homeland?!” Raradi loudly demurred, “My homeland is a desert called _Thanalan_! It’s on the southern tip of Eorzea! Not… _here_!"

The Viis woman crossed her arms, her brow furrowing in confusion.

“W-where _is_ here anyways?” Raradi continued, “Is this Dalmasca? It does look abit… jungle-ly...”

“...I know not of what you speak of, little one,” Almet coldly responded. “If I may be honest for a moment, My sisters and I originally believed you to be an outsider of sorts, and moved to expel you from here. However, _your_ kind has not been seen in these woods since the fall of the Empire, which was in and of itself a rare sight even in that bygone era. ...To say nothing of the testimony of those who found you.”

“Those that found me… you mean that lady? Phen?”

“Her and her sister, Nenve, yes,” Almet replied, while uncrossing her arms. “They were hunting in a section of the woods close to a portion of the Ronka’s ruins when they witnessed a beam of light issue forth from one of the tops of the Morning Stars. When they went to investigate… they found you atop the very same structure.”

_Finally, a clue!_

“Which way was this ‘Morning Star’ thing?”

Almet pointed directly in front of her, out towards the distance. “The northern exit of our village leads to the ruins in question, but-”  
  
“Okay, thanks!”

Without warning, Raradi turned on her heels and broke out into a sprint in the indicated direction, her appetite for answers too powerful to ignore.

_There’s_ ** _bound_** _to be something out there! If I can hurry, I can-_

* _thunk_ *   
  
“Wah!”

An arrow embedded itself just in front of her path, causing the Lalafell to halt dead in her tracks.

“Herald, _stop_!”

Almet’s voice echoed out behind her.

“To walk amongst the ruins alone is folly enough on its own! All manner of defenses still patrol the area, and are known to attack any foolish enough wanderers on sight! Even _us_ , who have long sworn to protect them!”

Almet walked up to the arrow that she had let loose moments earlier, and effortlessly plucked it from the wooden path.

“Not to mention the many creatures of the forest, who would view you as a convenient snack. I cannot permit you to travel alone.”

“B-but, I can fight-!” Raradi’s protest was cut short when she saw Almet shoot one of her fingers up.

“Allow me the opportunity to summon my sisters, so that we may be able to ensure your safety.”

Not wishing to invite another arrow coming at her from behind, Raradi nodded dejectedly before Almet motioned to another Viis far off to the side.

\--

A few minutes later, the silhouettes of 4 people could be seen making their way through the woods, towards the nearby ruins. Alongside Raradi and Almet were two other Viis women: the pink-haired Cymet and the violet-haired Uimet. Both sisters of the chieftainess, the former carried a staff of sorts while the later carried a spear of a rather unique design.

Autumn’s words echoed in Raradi’s head unabated: _Typically, light parties have a ‘tank’, a healer, and two dedicated attackers. You_ **_could_ ** _go into places with other compositions, but the one I just mentioned tends to be the safest one._ She couldn’t help but become a bit anxious realizing that her current group _lacked_ a ‘tank’. Then again, Almet _was_ the leader of the village, so she assumed that they knew best.

Their trek to the ruins passed by peacefully; the creatures of the woods were largely absent from the area, and Almet’s guidance allowed the group to approach one of the stone pyramids without incident.

“From what they told us, you were found at the top of this monument here,” stated Almet, pointing towards the peak of the smaller pyramid in front of them.

“Okay!” shouted Raradi, pounding her fists together. “Lets get climbing then!”

Watching the Lalafell stride up to the very base of the pyramid’s steps, Uimet could not stop herself from letting loose a quick scoff.

“Our herald is certainly a bold one, but will you truly not require some form of assis-”  
  
“Hup!”

Uimet’s mutterings were cut short by the sight of the diminutive woman effortlessly jumping up to the first level of the pyramid.

“Hup!”  
  
And then the second.

“Hup!”

Raradi continued up three more steps before twirling around on her heel, wagging her finger down at the 3 Viis below her.

“Don’t underestimate me just because I’m small!” she declared, before turning back around and continuing her journey upward.

It took no time at all for her to reach the top level, though the sight she would find would leave little to the imagination. The very top of the pyramid seemed to resemble a square pillar of sorts; a height notably higher than the steps before, one that even she knew she wouldn’t be able to jump up so easily. Towards the base, she could see some inscriptions carved into the rock surface, but nothing that would prove legible to her, no matter how much she squinted.

Nothing else stuck out to her though. The surface of the pyramid was otherwise unblemished: No markings from weapons or armor, no scorch marks from any spell casts, no scraps of cloth or chips of metal… no clues at all. No answers. Nothing.  
  
A sinking feeling settling in her stomach, Raradi turned back around to see that the three Viis women had closed the gap between them, standing a level or two just below her.

“Does that writing mean anything?” Raradi asked, pointing behind her.

After the three women glanced at each other in silent conversation, Almet responded: “If you refer to the inscription behind you, it is believed they hold the key to unsealing the Great Pyramid of Ux’ner. However, said structure was ordered shut by His Eminence, so we dare not trifle with such things.”  
  
“So... this was already here before I showed up...?” lamented Raradi.

Cymet nodded. “Yes, Herald.”

The complete lack of evidence had already compounded upon the Lalafell’s confusion and frustration over her situation, but hearing the Viis refer to her by that unknown title once more broke down what little patience the woman had left.  
  
“Okay, what in the seven hells is the deal with this ‘Herald’ business?!” she exploded. “My name is _Raradi_ , damn it! _Raradi Radi_! I’m not a _herald_ , I’m a _retainer-_!”

“A retainer?!” Cymet gasped. “Do you hear that sisters?! She was a retainer to His Eminence!”  
  
“... _WHAT?!_ No! To an _adventurer_ , not an emperor or whatever! Autumn Dawn! You know, the Warrior of Light?!”

The three Viis muttered amongst themselves in hushed tones, too quiet for Raradi to make out despite being within close proximity. Only a small scattering of words would reach her ears: Retainer… Test... Tiuna…

“Hey!” yelled Raradi, trying to get their attention. “Please! Tell me! What’s going on here?!”

A soft rumbling in the area served as the immediate response, as one of the ronkan golems patrolling the area began to advance towards the pyramid the four women stood upon.

“We have overstayed our welcome,” reported Uimet.

“Herald, we must leave before more arrive,” whispered Almet.

“What?! No! Not until I get some answers!” retorted Raradi.

“We do not have time, we must away! We will answer all that we can, but only once we make it back to the village!”

“I’m not moving until I get answers _now_!”

The rumbling intensified as the golem from before began its ascent up the pyramid, with a second golem rounding the far corner.

“Dammit! We don’t have time for this!” growled Uimet.

“Wha- _Hey_!”   
  
In an instant, the purple-haired Viis shot forward and grabbed Raradi, tucking her under their shoulder. The next few moments were a flurry of activity for the small woman: the sounds of arrows being let loose as Uimet jumped down from the top of the structure and broke out into a sprint, presumably towards Fanow...

\--

“Is everyone okay?”  
  
“Still in one piece. Sister?”   
  
“I am well.”   
  
“ _Put me down, dangit!_ ”

It took no time at all for the party to return back to the nearby village. The worst any of them had to show from the sudden excursion was a bout of exhaustion from having to make a hasty retreat.

All except Raradi, who squirmed under Uimet’s arm once they had all come to a stop.

“A-apologies, Herald. The adrenaline made me forget, I’ll admit.”  
  
Uimet gingerly set the small woman down onto the ground, whose face had inexplicably turned red at some point during their flight.

“I guess I... gripped you too tightly?” Uimet faltered, massaging the back of her head in a mixture of embarrassment and shame.

“N-never mind that!” Raradi quickly stammered back. “First off, _why_ do you keep calling me ‘Herald’?! I told you, my name is Raradi! You said you’d answer my questions, so answer already!”

Again, the three sisters glanced at one another, as if to agree on what they were about to answer with. Almet would be the one to step forward, conviction written upon her face.

“We Viis are the descendents of the palace guard that served under the last Emperor of Ronka,” she started. “As commanded by His Eminence, we have safeguarded Ronka’s ruins from disasters and would-be thieves both until the arrival of her allies, so that the wisdom and legacy of Ronka may live on.”

“And… we believe you to be the Herald of their arrival,” added Cymet.

Raradi jerked back in shock, her arms flying up above her head.  
  
“ _Wh-what_?! But why?! I _still_ don’t know what this Empire is! The only empire I know is a lot more… metallic!”   
  
Almet closed her eyes, her head tilting further downward as she let a soft sigh pass her lips. “We have watched over these ruins for three thousand years, and in all of that time, the ruins have never stirred once. Not even the Flood of Light served to awaken any of the secrets that lay dormant within. It is only as we are on the verge of failing our duty do you finally appear, and in the heart of the K’mul Astropolis no less! It is a sign; a sign we cannot ignore!”

“But I wasn’t _here_ before! I told you, I don’t even know where _here_ is!” Raradi shot back. “I was standing in my friend’s house! A house with tile and stone! O-on a tropical island! I made a pie, and then I had another of those headaches, and… and now I’m here!” 

“You mentioned the Warrior of Light before, yes?” remarked Uimet.

“Yeah?”

“...There was one such person in Ronka’s proud history who carried that title: Tiuna the Archmage,” Almet noted. “Though stories of her legend have changed much over the years, her mastery of the arcane and her ability to gaze into the future were two points all seemed to be in agreement on.”  
  
The red-haired Viis took a few steps closer to Raradi, and kneeled down in front of her.   
  
“We have discussed much about you ever since your sudden appearance. The means that you arrived here, the fact of your race, and what few clues we have gleaned through our conversations. There can be only one explanation for how and why you are here: That you were an ally to Tiuna, and sent forth across the flow of time as a sign; A prophecy made flesh to indicate the long-awaited arrival of Ronka’s allies… and a test of faith for those of us who remain to carry out His Eminence’s will.”

“ _That’s not even remotely close!”_ insisted Raradi. “It barely even makes sense! I’m just a simple retainer! I take care of Autumn’s stuff and go out to get stuff when she wants me to! I-! I-!”   
  
Her own form of exhaustion was starting to creep in; an emotional one that stemmed from a mystery that seemed to either be spinning in circles, or out of control.

“I-! I _lived_ in a _desert_! I have a family! My dad died in a mining accident! My mom is _sick!_ I…! I’d remember living in a place like this, wouldn’t I?!”

“Not if the spell also muddled your memories,” retorted Uimet. “Maybe even on purpose; that may actually be part of the test! That way, we’d confuse you for an outsider!”

“Wh… _what?!_ ”

“Yes! And If we succeed in restoring your memories, then the allies shall finally come at last!” chirped Cymet, pressing her hands together in joy.

“And if we don’t, then they never will, and we will die out never having accomplished our duty,” Uimet added with a small shrug.

“We are all in agreement on this. I hope you understand the gravity of the situation, little one. Your faulty memories are but a test of our resolve, and one we _will not_ fail. We will keep you safe and restore both you and yours to greatness, for you are the Herald of Ronka.” Almet concluded.

Raradi staggered back, an existential fear gripping her heart. _Wh-wh-what? N-no! Th-that can’t be right! My parents aren’t a lie! Autumn and Nam aren’t lies! My_ ** _life_** _hasn’t been a lie!_

A nervous laugh stammered out of the Lalafell. “...O-okay! Y-you guys got me! B-b-but this is going a little too far now! I… I’m scared, alright? You got me!”

Almet stood up, and joined her sisters in sharing a concerned stare towards Raradi.

“C-c-c-come on out everyone! You got Raradi!”  
  
Nothing moved around them. The Viis present were silent, and no one else in the village stirred.

“...P-Please? This… this isn’t funny!”

…

“...Autumn? ...Namryn? ... _Anyone_?!”

“Herald…” whispered Cymet.

On the verge of tears, Raradi fell to her knees.

“This can’t be real… This has to be a bad dream…!” she whimpered. “I’m… I’m…”

She clenched shut her eyes and tightly held the top of her head as the rest of her body came down to the ground.

_Please… Someone… Anyone…!_

…

...

...But nobody came.


	3. Chapter 3

A modest fire crackled along the far wall of one of the numerous huts of Fanow, with a small and black pot hanging just over top of it. The amber contents of the pot steadily bubbled on as Raradi blankly stared at her future meal. What few moments of retrospection the Lalafell ever took in her life often took place in front of the stove, as it was one of the few places in her life where she was required to sit still.

True to Phen’s word, Fanow’s weavers quickly provided Raradi with a proper set of clothing following her conversation with the Chieftainess and her sisters, though it would wind up merely being a diminutive version of the same robes that all of the other villagers seemed to wear. The only other differentiating feature was the coloring of said robes, dyed a familiar dark green as per personal request.

The only other luxury that Raradi had been allowed to choose--to an extent--was her living arrangement. Originally, Almet had planned to house her in the same hut that Raradi had first woken up in, under the direct care of the two women who had first located her. All it took for said arrangement to break down however was a sullen complaint Raradi had believed that she had uttered under her breath about ‘feeling cramped’. A bystander would have thought that the Sultana had been poisoned right before her, considering how everyone present had reacted in abject horror.

From what she was later informed, her current lodgings once belonged to another Viis woman who had left the village for the outside world only a year or two ago, and had remained empty ever since. A common enough occurrence reportedly. Not that it mattered much to her.

Still, the line of questioning had revealed some key details about where she currently called ‘home’. The giant forest around her was known as the Rak’tika Greatwood, situated towards the eastern side of a continent known as Norvrandt. Like the Empire she supposedly hailed from, the names were completely foreign to her, but she consoled herself with the fact that knowing _something_ was better than nothing. 

The conversation had also clued her into a troubling fact about the world around her. From what she was told, the world she found herself in had experienced a calamity of its own, something collectively referred to as the ‘Flood of Light’. Light _itself_ had reportedly consumed much of the outside world, and as a consequence, set loose a terrifying new breed of monster upon the land known as ‘Sin Eaters’: pale white creatures with an insatiable appetite for any living being they could get their hands on. As a direct consequence, effectively all of the Viis villages in the woods had been lost in the ensuing 100 years, save the village she currently found herself in. Made her wonder if the former tenant of her home knew something that the rest of her kind were keeping hidden from her, willingly or otherwise…

Stirring the contents of the pot, Raradi couldn’t help but think back to her thus far vain efforts to follow suit. After receiving proper clothing, she immediately resolved to leave the town, ideally under the cover of night. However, despite staying awake as long as she could that initial day… night never came. Even after realizing she had fallen asleep for some time, she noticed that she had awoken to the same blinding sky that saw her to slumber. “Another consequence of the Flood of Light,” she was later informed.

Her second plan was to use her size to her advantage, and smuggle herself out inside some of the trade that the town had. A plan that almost immediately went up in flames when she learned of the self-imposed solitude Fanow had; a solitude due in equal parts to the eradication of the other Viis villages and their duty of protecting the ruins of Ronka from outsiders. Hard to smuggle oneself out amongst a trader’s cargo if there was no such cargo to begin with. Or traders, for that matter.

With an otherwise complete absence of alternatives, she considered simply just… leaving. She was small, quick, and her new outfit blended in with much of the foliage of the forest around her. Unfortunately, her success with this avenue was as fruitful as the amount of thought she had put into the plan to begin with. Many of her initial attempts were thwarted by whichever ‘personal attendant’ was assigned to her for the day, instructed to tend to her every need as if she had _become_ the Sultana herself. She soon learned ways to escape their notice--exploiting changes in the guard or moments of physical needs, only to be later defeated by the eagle-eyed lookouts that perpetually seemed to keep watch over all of the exits of the village.

Almost two weeks had passed by since she first arrived at Fanow, with the last of her escape attempts occurring roughly four days prior. Her last defeat had robbed her of what little defiance she had left at her situation, and she had sat dejectedly inside her hut ever since. As improbable as it seemed, she concluded that her only option for the moment was to simply wait and hope that Autumn or Namryn (or both) would eventually find her here, and steal her away at long last.

However…

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaagh!”

The hut doors swung open as Raradi’s attendant for the day rushed in, panic apparent on her face.

“Herald, are you al-!”  
  
“I’m _BORED_!”

Her new course did little to actually provide her with any means of keeping herself busy. Her job as Autumn’s retainer often gave her a glut of activities and tasks to perform; a perfect fit for her and her boundless energy. However, much to her annoyance, her ‘attendants’ took over many of such duties in her personal life, and refused to impose on her to any real degree otherwise, leaving her with the noble and illustrious task of ‘sitting on her behind’. So careful were they to prevent any harm from befalling her, it was an outright struggle to even get them to allow her to cook her own meals.

As Raradi laid prone on her stool, her attendant gripped at her own wrists, unable to form a proper response to her charge’s complaint.

“Isn’t there _anything_ I can do to help out?” whinged the Lalafell. “Like… _Anything_! I can’t _stand_ just sitting around like this!”

“U-u-uhh…” squirmed the attendant.

Raradi could only blankly stare back in response. _This isn’t getting me anywhere_.

She hopped off of the stool situated in front of the fire and pointed straight at her attendant.

“Alright, Take me to your leader!”

_...Heh, always wanted to say that._

\--

“Greetings, Herald!” beamed Cymet.

_It's already gone wrong!_

At the cheiftainess’s hut, Raradi only found the soft-spoken Cymet standing in front instead. Reportedly, Almet had joined a small party of hunters in dispatching a particularly aggressive Sin Eater rampaging in their hunting grounds, leaving her sister in charge… for the moment.

“‘Tis good to see you walking about the village once more,” remarked the Viis.

_...She’ll have to do._

“Hi… can I talk to you about something?”

“Is something wrong?

“Well... like…”

Raradi attempted to find a way to voice her complaints in a more mature manner; one typically expected of a retainer to their employer.

“I’m… I’m bored! Like, _really_ _bored!_ ”  
  
Her impatience proved her undoing.

“Please, I’m used to doing things all the time! Helping people out with tasks or assignments… or even just chores! Heck, I can even fight!” she exclaimed, throwing out some swift jabs towards the air in front of her. “Is there _something_ I can do? I can help hunt if you want!”

Cymet reflexively grimaced at the suggestion. “I’m sorry, but it is simply too dangerous to allow you to join us in our hunts!”

“Come oooooooon! I’m literally going crazy just sitting around here, doing _nothing_! There’s gotta be something I can help with! Anything! Anything at all! Laundry, sweeping, sewing; anything!!!”

Cymet brought her hand up to her chin in deep contemplation as the small woman flailed about in front of her. A sight that proved hopeful for Raradi, as it meant that they were at least giving _some_ consideration to her request.

Whether it be because of a sudden bout of inspiration or a product of the expectant stare the Lalafell was now giving her, Cymet gasped.

“There may be something that you can!”

_YES! We’re finally in business!_

\--

_...Maybe I spoke too soon._

The two women had traveled a small distance to one of the larger huts that sat not too far from the southern entrance of the village. Pushing aside the drapes that covered the opening of the hut had revealed a set of beds placed along the wall of the building, with some wicker partitions situated between each of them. One of the beds on the far side of the room looked to be occupied, but whoever was occupying it was obscured by the presence of another Viis woman standing just off to their side, busying herself with a mortar and pestle in their hands.

At first, Raradi suspected that she was about to be recruited to help create potions and other alchemical mixtures. She wasn’t terribly knowledgeable about alchemy, but she also didn’t know much about the fauna or flora in the area in general, so maybe her ‘amnesia’ could be used as an excuse for someone to teach her.

What Cymet would say next, however, would be what gave her cause for concern.

“Our village is ever in need of skilled healers,” she explained. “Herbs and Elixirs can only do so much, after all. Ronka _was_ famous for its powerful healers, and created spells that could cure even the gravest of maladies! Surely, an ally of Tiuna could aid us _here_!”

Though her knowledge of alchemy was limited, at least she _had_ some knowledge with it. Magic was a completely different story; She had never cast a single spell in her entire life.

“I… but... but I don’t know any healing spells… or really any at all...” she sulked.

“Oh! Hmm… mayhap I should have expected this,” admitted Cymet. “Though… this may still work much to both your benefit and ours. Surely such knowledge is buried alongside many of your other memories of the past… If you were to relearn how to cast these spells, maybe _those_ memories will finally return as well! In fact…!”

The pink-haired Viis reached behind her, and brought forth a wooden staff adorned with a large, circular brass decoration at the very top; the same staff Raradi had often seen her carry around in the village.

“I should be able to teach you a few of the beginner spells!” she beamed. “Better yet, if I am correct about who is currently resting in the far bed, they may prove to be an ideal person to practice your spells on!”

Taking their last statement as an invitation to move inward, Raradi began to make her way towards the occupied bed. Despite the otherwise small size of the room she was in, she hadn’t noticed that the two other women present were in the midst of a conversation of their own; a mild chastising, from what things sounded like.

“...he last time: Stop trying to eat rail! They are not edible!”  
  
“But they basically look like giant dodos! Mark my words, I’ll find a way to cook ‘em yet, and it’ll taste amazing!”   
  
“Again! The taste is _not the issue_! Their bodies contain aether most foul!”

“Well of course it’s fowl, they’re _birds_!”

“You… You _insufferable_ -!”

“Excuse me?”

Cymet interjected herself into the conversation as soon as they had arrived right next to the pair, if only to prevent the bed-ridden woman from coming to any further harm. Raradi had recognized the woman standing next to bed as one of her earliest ‘attendants’. She was arguably the coldest of those who looked over her, yet she found a strange comfort in that. The woman in the bed, however…

“W-woah! You! Y-you’re not-!”

“Ah, I suppose you two have never had the opportunity to meet before,” acknowledged Cymet.

After having spent 2 weeks locked away in a village full of Viis, the sight of a person who did not share the same rabbit-like ears as the rest of the populace came as an absolute shock to Raradi. A Raen Au Ra with a tanned complexion, lime green eyes, and long black hair that flowed into lime green tips sat up in the bed, her gaze cycling between the now 3 women that stood before her. They eventually settled their sights on Raradi specifically, and flashed a small smile towards her.

“Ohw! You’re not a Viis!”

“Y-you’re not either!” blurted Raradi.

“Herald, this young woman here is known as Kalestin Jinjhal,” Cymet explained. “She has been with us for some time now, and- Oh!”  
  
She jumped in place as she made a sudden realization.

“Actually, allow me to excuse myself for a moment. I just had the thought that you will likely need a healers’ staff of your own. The one I carry may prove to be too cumbersome for you, and I do believe there are some spare ones stashed away somewhere that I can have someone fashion into one better suited for your smaller stature. Pray, excuse me.”

With a graceful bow, Cymet quietly departed from the infirmary, leaving the three other women to themselves.

“Ware this one, Herald,” cautioned the other Viis, “Though she may seem friendly, she tends to have a rather mischievous side to her. There is a reason, after all, as to why she still remains in Fanow.”

With her warning conveyed, she too left the scene... and then there were just the two.

“Ah… well…” began the bed-ridden woman, “As you just heard, I’m Kalestin. Pleased to meet you… uh… Herald?”

“P-please, call me Raradi!”

“Raradi? What a cute name!” she beamed.

Raradi felt like countless weights had finally been lifted off of her shoulders. After so long, her interaction with the mysterious Raen was a much needed dose of normalcy in her life. Had an intense desire to restrain herself not been present, she would have been bouncing about the room in joy.

“I don’t believe this, someone else who isn’t a Viis! I feel like I’m dreaming!”  
  
“That makes two of us then!” Kalestin responded. “I’ve been living here for a few _years_ now I think, and I’ve never seen _anyone_ that didn’t have long and tall ears… or at least In this village; Did you just move in?”   
  
“Uhh… in a manner of speaking, I guess…” Raradi looked away in embarrassment, massaging the back of her head all the while. “Not exactly by choice though, I’ll add.”

“Ohw, you poor thing. Well, don’t worry, the people here are very dependable; you won’t wont for anything, if that’s any comfort to you.”

Raradi could barely contain her excitement at the sudden turn of events. “I-I-I have _so many questions_ though! The people here always seemed super protective of the area around here! But _you’re_ here!”

It was Kalestin’s turn to shy away in embarrassment. “W-well… it’s not like I haven’t actually _tried_ to leave.

“O-oh… do they think you’re from Ronka too?”

“What? Oh no! I’m just a silly ‘outsider’ as far as they’re concerned.”  
  
“But… you’re still here! In Fanow!”

“It’s because I seem to have a tendency to wind up back here sooner or later, I’m afraid…” admitted the Raen. “Usually pretty banged up too. Though my current stay here is more because of a misbegotten experiment of sorts with my cooking.”

“What do you mean?” inquired Raradi.

“Well, like I said, I first turned up here quite a few years ago. To be honest, I don’t completely remember how I made it to this forest to begin with. I… think I was drinking a bit the night before, so I assume I just stumbled in here while I was out of it. I just remember waking up with the worst hangover or something. They found me out in the woods while I was still coming to, took me back here to rest up, then booted me right out the door!”

“Geez, that’s not too nice…”

“I mean, I was fine with it; I needed to get home anyways”, she admitted. “Still, didn’t help that I had alot of trouble finding my way out of here. I like to think I have a good sense of direction, but I had a habit of ending up back up in this forest sooner or later, and getting injured some way or another as a result. Sometimes I’d trip over a root or slip in the nearby river, other times I’d have a run-in with a nasty animal or something. Regardless, I’d get banged up pretty bad, which would lead to one of the hunters here finding me out in the wild, and then I’d wind up here…”

Kalestin chuckled as she recalled the innumerable times the cycle of events had repeated.

“They even tried guiding me out personally to a village or two of… _darkness worshipers_ ... or something like that. I didn’t really wanna impose too much on them though, so I’d leave them as soon as I could. Heck, one of the villages even tried to attack me on sight!” 

_Other villages?! Hmm… ‘darkness worshipers’ doesn’t sound terribly encouraging though..._   
  
“But then,” Kalestin continued, “I’d wander back into the forest eventually, get hurt again, and yet again get discovered by another Viis hunter who’d take me straight back here! After it happened enough times, they decided it was simply easier--not to mention safer--to just let me settle here! They had a small, empty hut on the outskirts that they let me move into, and they even offered to trade things that I found in the forest with them! And so here I’ve stayed!”

“...Though, it’d be really nice to get back home. I’ve probably been fired at this point, given how long I’ve been away,” she added, a twinge of regret in her voice.

“I’d like to get home too…” Raradi whimpered. “But these people here won’t let me go! They keep thinking I’m some sort of herald of some dead empire that I’ve never even heard of before!”

“Have you tried just… leaving?”

“Countless times!”  
  
“Darn!”

“It’s why I’m specifically _here_ right now though,” Raradi clarified. “I’m used to doing a ton of things every day, and nowadays, I have nothing to do! It's been driving me up a wall! So I basically _begged_ them for anything to do, and then they brought me here! I guess I’m gonna be learning some healing spells or something… hopefully.”

Kalestin leaned closer to the small woman in front of her, speaking in a hushed tone: “Ohw… you’re going to be taking care of little... ol’... _me_ then?”

“U-uh… I’m… twelve...” Raradi spluttered back.

“W-wait what? Really?! Oh gods, I’m so sorry!”

“Ah! No! I’m not actually twelve! That’s just a thing I say when… Ahhhh! I’m sorry I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it!”

The Auri woman watched her tiny counterpart flail in place for a few moments before reaching over and petting them on the top of their head.

“Just promise you’ll go gentle on me, okay?”

Fighting back her mounting embarrassment, Raradi nodded underneath their hand.

“Herald, I return!”

Cymet shouted out from the entrance of the room, holding a small wooden staff with both of her hands as she made her way towards them..

“It looks as though you two are already becoming fast friends! How wonderful!”

The Au Ra and the Lalafell exchanged a glance between each other, and shared a smile.

“Yeah! Good friends!” chirped Raradi.

“Well then, if you don’t mind, we can get started right away! As we hope to reawaken your healing knowledge, there is no better place to start than with ‘Ronkan Cure’.”

Raradi reached out and accepted the small staff from Cymet.

“Alright then… here goes something!”


	4. Chapter 4

“And you believe we are the allies for whom you have waited?” questioned Y’shtola.

“You have the seal, do you not?! After three millennia of waiting, that alone is nothing short of a miracle!” shouted Uimet, unable to contain her excitement. “Truth be told, I had begun to think you would never come, even _with_ the coming of the Herald!”

“Sister!” gasped Cymet, taken aback by her sister’s confession.

Uimet’s statement prompted little amongst the crowd before her, except a raised eyebrow from the inquisitive Miqo’te woman. She knew much of what one could learn of the Ronkans prior to their party’s sojourn into Yx’Maja, but one word in particular felt completely novel to her...

“ _Herald_?”

“Yes, the Herald of Ronka,” explained Almet. “Roughly one year ago did she first appear from a radiant pillar of light atop one of the monuments of the Morning Stars; Her mind muddled by the spell that sent her forth from the age of the Empire’s height to ours. We have kept her safe here in Fanow, believing that she was a test of our resolve towards our duty from the heroes of eld.”  
  
“Though…” she paused, “Her _true_ memories have yet to return. Given your arrival despite this fact, mayhap they are forever lost to the torrents of time...”

As Almet stopped to consider the potential implications of the situation, Y’shtola turned to the party behind her, her gaze locking with the elezen Autumn.

“Something is amiss here,” she whispered. “Though their mastery over the arcane was well documented, _time travel_ was one thing beyond Ronka’s capabilities.”

Autumn flashed a concerned scowl as a response, then turned to face the chieftainess.

“Excuse me, but can you describe this… ‘Herald’?”

Cymet stepped forward to answer her question: “She is of very small stature; I believe ‘dwarf’ is the term commonly used to describe them in the outside world. She was certainly a sight to behold, as her kind has not been seen in these woods since the fall of the Empire.”

_Dwarf…_

Just behind Autumn stood Namryn, massaging her chin as the singular word struck her with an odd sense of familiarity.

She let out a small gasp when she remembered why.

“What else?!” she quizzed. “What does she look like _specifically_?”

Cymet staggered back by the abrupt question. “U-uh, well… she has pale yellow eyes… pointed ears... long, green hair w-with strands of blue…”

Both Autumn and Namryn’s eyes shot wide open in shock.

“ _Raradi?!_ ” they yelled in unison.

“Oh! You know of the Herald’s name?!”

The remainder of the Scions turned to Cymet, mirroring--to varied degrees--the surprise of the two women before them.

“Thy long lost comrade!” gasped Urianger.

“She’s here?!” Autumn yelped.

“Where is she?!” demanded Namryn, taking a step forward. “Take us to her, _now_!”

Cymet shot her hands up defensively, and looked to her red-haired sister for guidance. Almet looked to her a moment, then nodded towards the adventurers. “At once.”

The crowd was quickly led to the front of a comparatively large building with a set of what looked to be drapes serving as the effective door.

“You will find the Herald in here,” Almet announced, her hand gesturing towards the entrance as she moved forward. “She may still be tending to one of our hunters who got injured by a caracal the other day-”

“Wait wait wait wait!”

Just as Almet’s hand moved to part the covering away, Autumn cried out. The Elezen looked to Namryn, then motioned towards the entrance. The Au Ra nodded back, and the two women proceeded to cautiously approach the building. Moving in sync, the two quietly parted the drapes, and peeked inside.

A number of beds lined the circular walls of the building, some divided by partitions. One of the beds towards the right side showed signs of activity: A blueish-white glow emanated outward, focusing on what appeared to be a bed-ridden Viera. After a few seconds, the glow faded away, and the two women could make out a diminutive woman with long, green and blue hair standing just off to the side…

Autumn and Namryn hurriedly withdrew their heads from the opening and took a step back.

“By the Twelve, it _is_ her!” Autumn whispered.

“I guess this answers why we’ve never been able to find her before,” mused Namryn. “If what Y’shtola has said about these people is true anyways... which it has been so far.”

“...On the plus side, she’s not a Leafman!”

“Indeed.”

The two turned to face the expectant crowd in front of them.

“So it’s her?” questioned Thancred.

“The only reason why I would believe otherwise would be the fact that she isn’t smiling at the moment,” answered Namryn. “In fact, she seemed rather sullen, even by her standards. But physically speaking, yes, I’d wager my life on it.”

“So Autumn wasn’t the _only_ one the Exarch erred on,” Y’shtola huffed. “Regardless, with her, our party will finally be complete. A timely addition too, considering time is against us-”

“A-actually, I…” Autumn interjected, though hesitancy stayed her tongue for a few seconds.

“Listen, I know we don’t really have the time for this… b-but… can you let us entertain something for the moment? I promise, we’ll try not to take too long,” she pleaded.

“...What do you have in mind?” replied the Miqo’te.

“Well…”

\--

“Okay… I think you’re good to go. Come on back if that opens up again; I’d say maybe rest another day or two just to be safe,” Raradi coached.

The bed-ridden Viis nodded and quietly got up from the bed, nursing her bandaged arm as she made her way out of the building.

Now alone in the building, Raradi let out a sigh as she slumped onto the bed in front of her. The recent week had seen a marked increase in injuries, and not simply from the ever growing presence of Sin Eaters in the area; even the animals in the forest seemed to be more agitated as of late.

“Herald?”

And it would appear there might be one more to add to that count.

She softly moaned into the bed before picking herself back up and turned towards the entrance. 

“Yes?”

Cymet stood just in front of the doorway, her hands folded in front of her.

“Forgive me,” she started. “I know you have been working very hard as of late, but I’m afraid we urgently require your aid once more.”

Raradi let out another sigh before responding. “What’s wrong?”

Cymet bowed, then exited the building for a few seconds before returning with another woman behind her. The glancing of a pair of horns initially led Raradi to believe that her friend Kalestin was the latest to get injured in a hunt, yet when she focused on the figure just behind Cymet, she was shocked to discover that it looked to be an entirely different person altogether!

“We found this outsider injured on the outskirts of the forest,” Cymet began to explain. “From what she tells us, she was lost in the woods when a pack of Sin Eaters attacked her. She appears to be unscathed for the most part--outside of some abrasions--but we found her in an exhausted state, and would like you to look at her before we send her on her way.”

“Sure, send her over…” Raradi listlessly responded.

As the mystery woman made her way over, Raradi took the opportunity to study them. They looked to be slightly taller than Kalestin, sporting a violet skin tone with short, dark brown hair laced with white streaks throughout. The only real similarity they seemed to share with her erstwhile friend was their white horns and scales, but even this differed slightly, as they seemed to shine a brighter white than her green counterpart. So much so that she couldn’t help but think a soft glow emanated from them, but she concluded that such a sight was her exhausted mind playing tricks on her. 

There was little else she could tell from a distance; most of the rest of her body was covered by her outfit: A predominantly purple leather armor with black leather gloves and black sollerets, with a long and thin greatsword hanging off of their back.

When they finally arrived at the bed and proceeded to sit down along the side, Raradi could spot some white freckles, as well as their orange eyes, encircled by bright yellow rings. A shiver went down her spine as their eyes met; the figure was as imposing as they were a sight to behold to the Lalafell.

Raradi slapped her cheeks twice, then braced herself for the next round of work.

“Okay, can you show me where it hurts? If you need to take off your armor, I can step away for a moment.”  
  
“That won’t be necessary,” they answered softly, as they reached over to remove the leather gauntlet on their right arm. She pushed up the exposed sleeve and brought her elbow forward, a small abrasion front and center.

“Hold still for a moment, this shouldn’t take long.”

As Raradi spoke, a faint light issued forth from her hands, and before long, the abrasion healed.

“See?” she said, forcing a smile.

The woman reciprocated a warm smile of her own.

“Is there… anything else I can help you with?”  
  
The purple Au Ra stared at Raradi for a few seconds before snapping back to reality. “In truth, my whole body feels… off. A consequence of my recent battle, I suppose-”  
  
“Hup!”

Raradi quickly jumped on top of the bed and moved to just behind the woman. Before they had the chance to react, the same warm light from before began to wrap around them.

“That feels… nice,” she commented.

After a minute or two passed, Raradi quickly hopped off the bed and turned to face the woman. “That usually tends to help, even if it’s basically just bombarding someone with my aether,” she admitted. “It’s kinda like washing a plate off!”

Silence would be the only reply she would receive, as the woman continued to stare at her, drifting somewhere between a blank face and a small smile.

“U-uh… is there something on my face?”

“...You do not recognize me?” she softly replied.

“Uhh… s-should I?” Raradi whimpered back.

The woman lightly chuckled in response. “It seems I _should_ have taken that wager anew.”

“W-wager? Who-”

“In fairness, she has changed rather significantly since last time. Don’t worry, she won’t take offense.”

Tears broke out almost immediately upon the Lalafell’s face. _That voice… I… I know that voice_ **_anywhere_** _…!_

She slowly turned to her left, and was greeted with the sight of a smiling Elezen woman, garbed in an ever familiar white and yellow outfit.

Raradi found herself at a loss for words as her body began to tremble.

“You… I… I… _you_ …!”

The Elezen dropped down to one knee, tears of her own forming in the corners of her eyes.

“That _is_ you, right? Raradi? Otherwise, I’d… be pretty embarrassed right now, not gonna lie!”

“I-! I-! ... _Waaaaaaaaaaaah_!”

Raradi shot over to Autumn so fast, she almost succeeded in knocking them over; the impact causing her to stumble down onto both their knees. The Lalafell gripped her friend as tightly as she could manage, loudly sobbing away into Autumn’s shoulder all the while. Autumn meanwhile wrapped one arm around Raradi’s back while she held the top of their head with the other, crying just over their shoulder.

“It’s _you!_ It’s _really you_! You finally found me!” blubbered Raradi.

“I missed you too, Raradi...” sniffled Autumn, doing her best to not break down completely.

The two spent what felt like eons embracing one another, crying their lives away in the otherwise empty room. Mayhap too long, for someone in particular.

“What am I then, chopped buuz?”

The seemingly sullen voice broke the Lalafell and Elezen free from their moment, as both let go of one another and proceeded to stand up.

Raradi looked back to the Auri woman to see if she could recognize who exactly they were. _She knows me… but I feel like I’d remember someone who looked like… well **that**_.

After exhausting either her mind or her patience, she turned back to Autumn.

“Umm… who is _she_?”

“<gasp>! Well _fine_ then! See if I try any more of your pie ever again!” In an effort to punctuate her declaration, the woman crossed her arms and turned her head as she pouted.

…

…

“... _NAMRYN?!”_

“Took you long enough!”

“I-! Wha-! But-! I-!”

Raradi turned back to Autumn, panic showing both on her face and upon her breath.

“Wha-wha-wha-what happened?! Wh-why is she _purple_?!”

…

…

“ _...Ahahahahahahaha!_ ”

“H-hey! This isn’t funny!”

Autumn lost herself in a sudden fit of boisterous laughter. Namryn took the opportunity to pick up the distracted Raradi from behind, and pulled them in close for a hug.

“I missed you too, you know.”  
  
“Ah! I-! I… I missed you too, Nam,” Raradi whispered. “Oop! S-sorry, I mean Namryn!”  
  
“It’s fine,” she whispered back. “You can have that one. Once.”

After letting Raradi relax in her arms for a moment, Namryn looked over to Autumn, who looked to have recomposed herself.

“All good?”  
  
“Yeah!” she replied, slightly out of breath. “All good.”

With that, Namryn let Raradi back down to the ground, and Autumn stepped forward to them once more.

“Listen, I know we just finally got back together,” Autumn started, “but I’m afraid we don’t really have the time for an extended reunion. Considering the circumstances, I imagine your knowledge of the outside world is probably really limited, but long story short: We have some bad guys right on our tail, and we need to find something in these woods before they find us.”

Raradi hopped to attention: “Ah! Okay! What're you looking for in particular?”

“A Lightwarden,” Namryn chimed in, “Think Sin Eater, but _really_ big. Tend to have alot of friends. I don’t suppose you’ve seen one?”

Raradi lowered her head in shame. “I’m sorry… the Viis were really adamant about keeping me here, secluded in the village. Unless it conveniently flew past a window at some point, there’s no chance I would have been able to see it…”

Namryn sighed as she heard the news. “Figures. Nothing can ever be that easy for us.”

Raradi sulked in place for a moment, before she gasped as a thought crossed her mind. “The Viis though! They have _crazy_ good eyesight, and some of them have been around for _centuries_! There might not be terribly many left, but there’s bound to be _someone_ around who has seen it!”

Autumn pounded her fists together. “Sounds like a plan then! You ready to get going?”

“I-! I mean, I _do_ , but they… they won’t…” Raradi whimpered.

Autumn reached down to pet Raradi’s head, then gestured towards the entrance with her finger. “You leave that to me.”

Before long, the three women finally emerged from the building, with Autumn taking the lead. Before any of the Scions or the Viis before them had a chance to speak, the Elezen turned to Almet and her sisters, and adamantly addressed them:

“Before we get to anything else, I want to make one thing perfectly clear: Our mission here will require the most formidable of warriors, and though it may come as a surprise to you, young Raradi here is as formidable as they come. As the Allies of Ronka, I beseech you to allow her to assist us in whatever may come. Even if it means leaving Fanow. Even if it means putting her directly in harm's way. We will need her strength in the coming trials, and I will _not_ take no for an answer.”

The three Viis sister bowed in response. “Very well,” Almet answered. “With you and yours now here in our village, our duty keeping her safe is at an end. If you wish to use her thus, then we shall not protest.”  
  
Autumn turned back to Raradi, and flashed her a wide smile.

“That settles it! Ready to get to work?”  
  
“You know it! I won’t even charge you a venture this time! After all...”

Raradi pounded her fists as a wicked grin creased her face.  
  
“I’ve been waiting a whole year for this!”  
  
-END


	5. Epilogue

As Autumn and the rest of her friends made their way through the Qitana Ravel, Namryn laid alone in the infirmary where she had first reunited with her tiny, green colleague. As much as she wished to join them in the hunt for the Lightwarden, she had gotten herself injured while repelling the Eulmoran soldiers from Fanow and the K’mul Astropolis, and was still nursing her wounds as a result. The fight had been decidedly in her favor before their commander, Ran’jit, took to the field.

His blows felt somewhat blunted compared to her first encounter with him in Lakeland, but fighting off an army of soldiers beforehand taxed her more than she could handle. If he hadn’t been in such a hurry to catch up to Autumn, things might have ended up even worse off than they did.

As she sat back in her bed with a huff, the scenes from her reunion with Raradi replayed in her head. It had been a nasty habit of hers in the past, as such moments often involved traumatic scenes buried deep in her past. Her sole comfort in those moments was that she had always been able to look back on them as a passive spectator; watching a play silently act out as she looked on from the wings. A product of her efforts of closing herself off, she was wont to conclude.

This time, however, was different. A faint warmth blossomed her chest as she recalled pulling in Raradi for a hug. A short-lived sensation however, as without warning, her thoughts suddenly transitioned back to the moment when she watched her go from the Source. It was at that moment that she recalled the sensations she felt holding Raradi in her hands. She had felt that emotion long ago, but it had been so long since it last cropped up, that it felt completely foreign to her. And in the middle of Yx’Maja, it finally clicked for her.

It was loss. She was _mourning_ her friend. An echo of the same feeling that drove her from the Steppe so long ago.

“Gods…” she muttered, “I really _have_ changed, huh? I actually _missed_ her-”

“Ra- _Radiiiii~!_ ”

The silence of the room was broken by a loud feminine voice that Namryn did not recognize. She leaned forward to get a look at the sudden visitor: They looked to be an Au Ra woman of some kind, and a strangely green one at that. She looked as if she had lived in the forest for some time and decided to take the color scheme as her own.

“Are you in, besti-? Ah!”

The woman’s eyes soon locked on to Namryn.

“S-sorry! Didn’t mean to wake you up, usually my friend is in here around this time.”

“You’re… fine,” mumbled Namryn. “Wasn’t sleeping; just resting.”

“Ohw, you’re not a Viis though! Are you an outsider too?”

“In a manner of speaking. In regards to your other concern however, I’m afraid Raradi’s out right now.”

“I see… I guess I just missed her then! She must be heading back home.”

“Actually, she’s aiding my friend Autumn at the moment. They’re off exploring the Qitana Ravel, under the belief that the Lightwarden can be found-”

“Wait!” the woman interjected. “She’s _out_?! ‘Out of the village’ out?!”

“Y-yes?” stammered back Namryn.

“No way, they actually let her _leave the village_?! Kami be praised, I’m so happy for her!”

The woman jumped for joy as she spoke, but then froze completely as a loud gasp echoed out from her.

“ _Wait_! Did you say _Autumn?!_ Her friend finally came?!”

“Y-yes? I-”  
  
“Aaaaaaaaaaaaa! I can’t believe this! She must be so happy!!! Oh, I can’t _wait_ for her to get back, I’ve been wanting to meet her for so long-!”   
  
“Excuse me, but _who_ exactly _are you?_ ” demanded Namryn. “I did not think the Viis harbored anyone outside of their kind, save Raradi. Speaking of which, _how do_ you know Raradi? What’s your relationship with her?”

“Ohw! Sorry, I guess I was getting ahead of myself! My name is Kalestin Jinjahl. I live in a small hut just outside Fanow, helping out with the occasional hunt.” The Auri woman jostled what looked to be a sheathed katana hanging at her hip as if to prove her point. “As for Raradi, we’ve been friends here since she first arrived here in Fanow. She’s talked _so much_ about her past adventures, and her _friends_ especially-”   
  
Kalestine suddenly stopped in her verbal tracks, her eyes locked in shock towards Namryn.

“Wait a minute… _are you…_ **_Nam_** _?!_ ”

…

…

_...I’m going to kill that little shite._


End file.
